It seems that everything Chef Kelvin Cheung touches turns to gold. From the time this third generation Chinese-Canadian chef took over Ellipsis in 2012, he gave the fine dine a fresh spin with unique flavour combinations, creating a culinary reputation to reckon with, with actors Sonam Kapoor and Alia Bhatt among his loyal patrons. But late last year, he sounded his departure from Ellipsis and the city. That didn’t last very long and soon enough, Mumbai drew him back. In December 2015, he established his very own gastro-pub, One Street Over, which has ensured that the swish set revisits that part of Bandra frequently.

It’s clear that he’s got several aces up his sleeve, and he doles them out one after another. A little over a month ago, he dealt yet another one. Bastian, his seafood speciality restaurant, opened its doors (a few metres from One Street Over) in May and escalated his celebrity-hood. Loyal fans travelled from either end of the city, seeking a piece of the pie crab, the eatery’s mascot.

Image Source: Bastian | Zomato

Something FishyBastian’s bounty includes fish (the menu is dotted with salmon) and crustacean delights, namely prawns, crabs and lobsters. It doesn’t go overboard with tongue-tickling delicacies but provides the usual suspects in an unusual avatar.

Its quirkiest offering is the “Not Sushi”, which sumptuously restructures the concept of sushi to resemble an open-face panini. Sticky Japanese rice becomes the base, over which vegetables, eggplant, salmon or prawns are placed and garnished. Against it, the Salmon Jalapeno is a tongue-tingling eat.

Vegetarians shouldn’t skip this place—Bastian does a mean Wok Stir Fried Szechuan String Beans and Olives bowl. One bite and you won’t stop until you get to the bottom of the bowl. It’s a similar experience with the Wild Mushroom Tom Kha in a house-made red curry with king, enoki and shimeji mushrooms.

Oh fish! Oh crab! Oh wow!
Opt for the Seafood Market menu, where you can customise your mains—by choosing the day’s catch and the sauce to go with it. Whether you pick the prawns, market fish, mud crab and lobster, about a kilo-worth of the protein swims to your table, at a cost upwards of `1,800+taxes. The masterpiece, the Bastian Boil, which serves a kilo mud crab, six jumbo prawns, four corn pieces, four baby potatoes and four smoke sausages with Bastian bay seasoning, garlic butter sauce and two orders of bread, costs a whopping `3,600+taxes.

Image Source: Bastian | Zomato

Fishing for Gold
Chef Kelvin Cheung’s inventive cooking style has served up a bit of the globe on our plates and it comes with a price to match. It’s not difficult to rake up a big amount here. But with such big, bold flavours on the plate, we’re not complaining!